THE 2012 KITTY OLYMPICS

Belly-Up Sprawl

Tuxie kitty displaying belly-up sprawl while napping.

Gold Medal Winner – Misty May

So…we are in the midst of the XXX Summer Olympics and usually Kitties Blue would be displaying their penchant for the games. But with the heat we’ve been having, the most “hotly” contested event is the BELLY-UP SPRAWL. Mauricio and Misty May both get extra style points for the best lead-in—the drop, flop and roll. But, Misty May is the clear gold medalist, as she is known for her ability to spend about 22 hours per day on her back.

Calico cat in the bell-up sprawl position while napping.

Silver Medalist – Lily Olivia on her back! Lily Olivia gets the silver medal. Giulietta earns the bronze based on her girth and floofy hair-do.

All the sprawling has given Giulietta the energy for the occasional Track and Field events. She is the master of  the BACK-TO-FRONT DOOR SPRINT as well as the BACK-DOOR-TO-UPSTAIR’S-FOOD-BOWL SPRINT. Should another feline mistakenly cross her path, a little CAT-ON-CAT WRESTLING can ensue. When that happens, I am forced to disqualify all those involved.

On the other paw, Astrid is definitely the best at the STUFFED MASCOT WRESTLING event. She refused to let me take her picture as she didn’t want to give away any of her top-secret techniques. And with sibling, Lisbeth, she has mastered the HIGH-FLYING-BUG SWAT AND GOBBLE. (She’d have some hard competition in 2023 with Kizmet and Audrey being masters at this event.)

Tuxie kitten with miniature volleyball.

Baby Mauricio with His Kitten-sized Volleyball

One would think Mauricio and Misty May, named for gold-medal volleyball players, would take a bigger interest in that sport. But even though Jolly Old England is the locale for the people Olympics, neither find the sport to be their “cup of tea;” though, as you can see, Mauricio once did. (Mauricio eventually found that he enjoyed volleyball as a spectator sport from Dad Tom’s lap.)

Additional Events

The Olympics always have been contested among the resident kitties. They aren’t really partial to either the summer or the winter games. Games take place all year around and include a variety of “catrobatics.” These include LEAP CAT, TEAM PAW BALL/CORK /STYROFOAM PEANUT (a lot like team handball), CAPTURE THE CRITTER, WRAPPING-PAPER WRINKLING, MOUSE MUNCHING, TUB-TAIL TAG, LASER LIGHT KEEP-AWAY and the always favorite, CHRISTMAS TREE DISMANTLING.

Tuxie kitten standing on hind legs on bed.

Mauricio competes in Capture the Critter.

Kitties Blue have become quite distressed by the discontinuation of many events due to our usage of laptops, tablets and smart phones. No longer contested are ANSWERING MACHINE ANNIHILATING, MODEM MAULING or FAX FIDDLING.

We wish they could be better sports cats and competitors, but as I have said often, if wishes were cats, we’d be up to our necks in cat poop…oh, wait a minute, we are. Maybe LITTER BOX SCOOPING should become an Olympic event for the caregivers. We’ve certainly built up some great upper-arm strength…probably even enough for the CAT CLEAN AND JERK. (Dad Tom does most of the scooping now for which I am entirely grateful.)

Dad Tom at the Olympics

FIVB Referee Commision at the 2012 London Olympics.

Tom (2nd from left) and his fellow Referee Commission Members

For those of you who know Dad Tom and me, I have added this bonus photo from the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 Olympics in London. For those who are just becoming acquainted with us, Dad Tom is a member of the FIVB (International Volleyball Federation) Referee Commission.